Redistricting has diluted the Black vote, claims activist group of former state legislators

Activists say new voting districts dilute the Black vote

A group of former state reps are leading the charge questioning Michigan's recently redrawn congressional map.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Activists claim the newly-drawn districts are not fair and the representation or lack thereof is racist toward the Black population/

Redistricting happens every 10 years, and the attorney representing a group that thinks our new maps are unconstitutional is asking the court to take a look at whether certain districts should be re-drawn.

The group, led by former state representatives, claims our current configurations dilute the Black vote as evidenced in part by a reduction they say happened post-2022 in majority-minority districts.

"You've got to have our voices present the discussion," said Sherry Gay-Dagnogo.

Gay-Dagnogo has spearheaded a scathing stance against Michigan's Redistricting Commission.

"This is about African-American representation throughout the entire state," she said.

The accusations include discriminatory district designs, delving deep into violations of the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment.

"No other demographic has endured the harsh treatment in this country like African Americans," she said. "While communities are specific, I think the lived African-American experience of the struggle has to be present when decisions are being made."

The group asserts Black people in Detroit have been systemically discriminated against due to race, and knowingly created Communities of Interest to mask the use of racial quotas- in violation of the 14th Amendment.

"What we have found in these new districts where you have certain portions of Detroit that have been cut off, get a little bit of Detroit with predominantly suburban folks - those members live in the suburbs," said Shanelle Jackson, former state rep. "And those constituents have a different lived experience and a different set of needs.

"So we want Detroiters' unique, lived-in experience to be counted, heard, recognized, acknowledged."

"We’re talking about representing the people of Detroit," said Teola Hunter, former state rep. "Because we have the best interest of Detroit and unless you live in an area, unless you have had experience to see the good and bad, and indifference wherever you live, you’re not able to speak about it with any degree of intelligence."

"We know based on the 2022 election results the vote was diluted and 20 percent of the Black caucus was lost due to the new maps," said Jennifer Green, attorney for the group.

The commission has previously countered this claim contending their communities of interest conceal no racial bias.

To prove their case, we’re by Green that they will rely heavily on audio files and transcripts of sessions that happened when the commission at the time believed were in closed-door sessions.

The final pre-trial conference is set for Thursday in federal court.